Basen puda is a great dish to serve for breakfast or a light lunch. This recipe is quick to prepare and can be served many different ways.

Makes 5 pudas.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1/4 cup rice flour (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies
• 1 cup shredded zucchini (Italian squash)
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (green coriander)
• About 6 tablespoons of oil to cook

Method:

1. Shred the zucchini with the skin and keep aside.
2. Mix the dry ingredients togather In a bowl, besan (gram flour), rice flour which helps for the crispness, salt, and cumin seeds.
3. Add the water slowly to make a smooth batter batter should be consistency of pancake batter or Dosa batter.
4. Next add the chopped green chilies, chopped cilantro (green coriander) and shredded zucchini. Mix well.
5. Use a non-stick skillet and place on medium-high heat. To check if the skillet is ready, put a few drops of water on it. If the water sizzles right away, the skillet is ready.
6. Next pour about 1/2 cup of the mixture on the skillet and spread evenly with a back of spoon. Starting from the center, spread in circular motion outwards until it is evenly spread about 7 inch circles.
7. When batter start drying. Put 1 teaspoon of oil and spread over gently, using a flat spatula. Lift the puda from one side using a flat spatula (A flat spatula makes it easy to flip the puda). Flip the puda when it turns golden-brown.
8. Next, press the puda lightly with the spatula all around so the puda cooks evenly. The puda should be golden brown on both sides to ensure it is crispy.

Tips:

Spresd the batter quick, otherwise batter start drying and cannot be spread.

Serving Suggestions:

1. You can serve the puda with yogurt, chutney, spicy pickles, or ketchup.
2. You can also fold the puda with shredded cheddar cheese, sliced tomatoes, or roasted vegetables.

Variations

1. Zucchini can be replaced with finely chopped spinach, shredded potatoes, or very finely shredded cabbage.
2. If you make the puda without vegetables, do not use rice flour. This will cause the pudas to be very dry.
3. If you don’t have cilantro, you may replace with ground coriander powder. If you don’t have green chilies, you may replace with red chilly powder or flakes.